


Drink your blood, Jon

by strawberry_cider



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Vampires, Blood Drinking, Blood and Violence, Fic written for the sake of one scene to be put into existence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Shared Trauma, Sort Of, canon-typical psychological turmoil, dubious consent face-licking, implied polyamory, jon has a bad time, super self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 14:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22497706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberry_cider/pseuds/strawberry_cider
Summary: Jon is accidentally turned into a vampire and his new friends help him adjust to his new life.
Relationships: Jonathan Sims & Sasha James & Michael, Michael & Jonathan Sims, Sasha James & Jonathan Sims, Sasha James & Michael
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	Drink your blood, Jon

Looking back, it was so obvious. It was too good to be true. How did he not realize how fishy it had all been? He could have prevented all of it, the more he thought about it. That’s what he thought about, sitting in his bed and staring at the wall, his stomach painfully hollow.

Jonathan found work in an office ran by a man named Elias Bouchard. He was a rich businessman who took over his predecessor’s company. Jon knew James Wright died suddenly, but he was already an elderly man. It isn’t impossible to die at the age of sixty. Not much was known about Elias. He seemingly popped out of nowhere in the field, but he was talented and more than capable. He quickly and easily built himself an empire. Jon was offered a job and he accepted it in a heartbeat, without thinking. He was not qualified for it, but it was so well-paid and Jon felt so smug about how lucky he was. He figured things out as he went and everything turned out fine. He actually enjoyed working for Elias. He and the others did not see him often. He interacted with his employees through the phone most times. He was something of a recluse, but when they did interact, around closing time, Elias was a perfect gentleman. Jon never suspected anything out of ordinary.

Jon could still taste the blood that was not his own in his mouth. The memory made his stomach plead for more, which made him feel ice-cold chills of panic on his spine.

It all happened so fast. Jon had been working late. The others had already left and Jon was even asked to close the door behind him by the janitor. He packed up, he was ready to leave, when Elias came in his office. He sounded restless all day and that evening he looked like he was about to faint. Jon ran up to catch him, understandably worried. Faster than Jon could react, Elias covered his mouth with his hand and bit his neck. Elias’ teeth pierced his skin. They were far too long and sharp. They ripped his neck open and Elias sucked the blood gushing out, he was drinking his blood!! Jon screamed, but the iron grip muffled him. He trashed and clawed at Elias’ arm and head, kicked at his legs, but barely made him budge. He felt Elias pull the blood out of his veins, he felt his blood be dragged out. His head felt light and his vision blurred.

Elias took his mouth off him for a moment, to breathe. Jon, with all his might, bit the hand on his face and kicked Elias in the stomach. It took him by surprise enough to make him let go. Jon, clutching the bleeding wound on his neck and his mouth dirty with that... _thing_ ’s blood, he bolted out the building, ran faster than he thought he was capable. He only stopped when he ran out of breath in some alley. He gasped for air, swallowing Elias’ blood. He slid against the wall, panting. He wiped his sweat-covered face and absent-mindedly stared at the wall in front of him. He wasn't sure how long he sat like that, frozen in shock. He touched the gashes on his neck and found them dry and closed. Jon furrowed his brows. He got up with difficulty and made his way out of the alley. He half-expected Elias to be around the corner.

Jon didn’t make it half-way to his home when the sun started to rise. His skin felt like it was covered in ants, then it _burnt_ , he literally saw it bubble and steam. He found an empty warehouse and hid inside it, avoiding the sunlight coming through the windows like a scared animal. His mind was racing and his heart felt like it was going to burst from fright.

The next days were a blur. He managed to get back home the next night. He pulled all the curtains closed and spent the time pacing around, trying to think. This wasn't real, this wasn't happening. He didn’t go to work, obviously. Sunlight burnt his skin. He got hungry and ate at a 24/7 place, desperate for something real and reasonable, something to ground him, but he only felt hungrier and thirstier. He ate everything from his fridge and his stomach still felt empty. He chugged water from the bathroom tap, but his thirst wouldn’t go away. His throat and stomach ached so badly, he felt like he was going to go mad. He couldn’t remember when he left his home and went outside, or how he caught the person he was currently on top of. They looked so scared, their eyes were so wide. He could hear their pounding heart. The veins in their neck were bulging, so full of life, so full of blood. He didn’t remember the moment of biting down on it and chugging, he just felt his mouth fill with the taste of metal.

“My, my, what do we have here?” He heard a voice behind him.

“I haven’t seen him before. Must be new.” He heard another one.

“He is. Look how fresh his bite-mark is. Poor thing, he’s so hungry.”

“Someone must have turned him for fun and left him like that. My bet’s on Nikola.”

Jon looked up at them but his vision was foggy. Only vaguely did he see the silhouettes of two people. He felt drunk. His stomach stopped hurting.

One of them grabbed him by the chin covered in blood.

“Come with us, okay?” They said.

Jon didn’t remember what answer he gave. The next thing he knew he was in a bed, under a big and soft comforter. The room he was in was dark and cosy. The closed curtains over the window were thick and heavy. As he was looking around, the door opened and a man stepped in, holding a large mug. He was very pale and his hair was black. He wore a little too much eye makeup.

“Oh, you’ve come to.” He said as he sat on the bed next to him.

“Where am I?” Jon asked, groggy.

“If you want to, your new home.” He said. “What’s your name?”

“Jonathan Sims...”

“I’m Gerard Keay. You can call me Gerry.”

Gerry placed the mug on the night-stand and helped Jon sit against the bed frame. Jon saw that Gerry had many tattoos on his hands and neck. Jon looked at himself and saw that he was wearing new, clean clothes and that there was a new bandage on his neck.

“Gerry...” he started, gathering his thoughts. “Gerry, what is happening?”

“Well, Jonathan...” Gerry sighed. “You’re a vampire now! From the looks of it, you were turned against your will, or perhaps by accident. We’ll figure that out together. Right now, you are in a coven. It’s like a small community. We’re one of the nicer ones. You can stay here from now on and I suggest you do. There’s safety in numbers.”

“What, there are vampire hunters out there?”

“Yes. There are. You’re lucky Sasha and Michael were the ones that found you. You’ll meet them again in a moment.” He said, handing him the mug.

Jon took it to his mouth without thinking. He felt the taste of metal and immediately spat it out.

“What the hell?!” Gerry backed away.

“This is blood!” Jon shrieked.

“Jonathan. You’re a vampire. This is what you drink from now on. That’s what we found you doing!”

Gerry took Jon out of his room and walked him through the hallways of his “new home”. It had many rooms and it looked very fancy. Gerry explained it used to be a hotel. It was very dark inside, no sun was allowed in, but Jon found he had no problem following his guide. On their way to the main staircase, they met with Sasha and Michael. Sasha was- or rather, _looked_ like a young woman. She had long hair and thick-framed glasses. Her clothes were colourful and out of fashion by a few decades. Her smile was contagious and Jon couldn't help smiling back. Michael was a tall man with curly blond hair and pale skin. He was plain, both in dress and in the face. He looked like a normal, harmless dude. Knowing what he really was, the implications made Jon feel anxious.

“Hello!” She said. “My name is Sasha James!”

“I'm Michael Shelley!”

“I'm Jon. Thank you, uh... Thank you for helping me! Sorry for the trouble.”

“Oh, don't worry about that.” Sasha said. “We’ll gladly take care of you!” She and Michael laughed and Jon felt a little flustered. Gerry put a hand on his back to urge him to keep walking forward.

Their coven was rather small in comparison to other ones. It was composed of Gerry Keay, Sasha James, Michael Shelley, a man named Michael Crew (not confusing at all), a woman named Melanie King, another named Helen Richardson, a man named Oliver Banks, one Nathaniel Thorp, one Hezekiah Wakely, one Karolina Gorka, one Naomi Herne, one Tessa Winters, and a woman named Jane Prentiss that wasn’t there at the moment. Those present welcomed Jon and took him to a dining room with chairs for everyone. They wasted no time in basically interrogating Jon as to what happened to him. Upon saying the name Elias Bouchard, several of them took deep breaths and rose their eyes to the ceiling.

“You know him, I gather?” Jon said.

“His name used to be Jonah Magnus.” Hezekiah, dressed in what looked like Victorian clothes, said. “Nobody knows who turned him, but whoever they are, they must be rolling in their grave in regret.”

“Probably the same person who thought it was a good idea to make Simon Fairchild live forever.” Gerry said. “That 'Elias' changes his identity regularly. And he gives us a bad name while at it. He must have killed more people than all of us combined.”

“Isn’t that what... you guys do?” Jon said, looking between them.

“We drink blood, yes, but you can do it _without_ killing.” Nathaniel, also in old timey clothes, said. “It’s no different from drinking milk or eating chicken eggs, if you think about it.” He took a long sip from his teacup. Jon looked uncomfortable.

“Others are more savage than the rest.” Nathaniel continued. “Elias isn’t a singular case, unfortunately. There’s another coven nearby where they thrive off of chaos and violence. Their leader, Agnes Montague, on the other hand, is so nice!

“It’s like she’s a magnet for crazy people.” Karolina, a woman with long straight hair and a taupe trench-coat, said, watching her cup as she swirled the liquid in it.

“I’ve seen Jude Perry on their rooftop in the morning, once.” Mike Crew, a man with an open shirt and a huge and painful-looking scar on his neck, said. “She was yelling at the sun to do it’s worst. Agnes was waiting for her on the ground, with an umbrella. That Jude's cray...”

“Those guys are at least discreet about it, more or less.” Melanie said. She wore a greaser leather jacket and short hair. “Elias attacked his god-damned employer, at work!”

“Did he also kill James Wright?” Jon asked.

“Probably!” She said, almost slamming her teacup.

“It's unfortunate.” Oliver sighed. He was a young-looking man with dark skin and modern, kind of hipster-y clothes. “I'm afraid there's nothing we can do to change you back, Jon. This is your life from now on. We'll help you as much as we can. Most of us are in the same situation, which is why we came up with our little coven.”

Jon looked down. If he didn't feel defeated and helpless before, he felt it now. His eyes drifted and landed on one of the empty chairs. On it was a jar filled to the brim with ash. Jon felt so confused.

“Um... What’s that?” He asked.

“That’s Jane!” Helen said. She was a curly-haired woman, wearing a gaudy 80s business suit.

Jon felt even more confused.

“She was killed by a hunter.” Oliver continued. “The sunlight burnt her corpse, but we found her ashes and kept them. She’s dead, but she’ll always be part of our coven.”

“Uh-huh...” Jon said. “Are there, uh, a lot of hunters?”

“In our city, there are a few.” Sasha said. “Most of them work in the police. It's convenient like that, you know?”

“One of them, Daisy, is a werewolf too.” Melanie added.

“Isn't that like betraying her own kind?” Jon asked.

“Not if she doesn't hunt other werewolves.” Helen said. “So basically she does whatever she wants. Which is perfect working as a police officer!”

“She's scary, but there are scarier out there.” Gerry said. “If you get targeted by Gertrude Robinson, you're basically dead.”

“Oh, Gertrude is terrifying.” Oliver said.

“She killed Jane.” Michael added, face tense.

“I saw her once.” Tessa, a woman with glasses, a bun and 50s clothes, said while completely absorbed in her phone. “But she didn't see me!”

“Evan told me Gertrude killed nearly half of people from his coven.” Naomi said. She was cute and modestly-dressed and her hair was in elaborate braids. “The Lukas coven used to be over 100 individuals!”

“100 too many.” Melanie grumbled.

“Who is Evan?” Jon asked.

“Naomi's Romeo to her Juliet.” Helen said and Naomi's face turned beet-red.

And so Jon's new life began.

He spent most of his time inside the old hotel, exploring it and talking with the others. Except for Nathaniel and Hezekiah, who were turned about 200 years old, most of the members were fairly “young”. Mike, Michael, Helen, Oliver, Naomi and Tessa were turned between 50 and 60 years ago. Sasha, Melanie and Karolina were turned less than 30 years ago. Jon was turned about a week ago at the time, making him the youngest member yet.

“Basically, we're the elders and you're a baby!” Sasha said.

“Please don't call me that...” Jon said.

“You're baby!”

“Please stop.”

“Baby!” Melanie shouted from the other room.

“Plea-”

“Baby.” Mike said, not looking up from his book.

Sasha introduced him to Martin Blackwood and Tim Stoker, who were human but helped the coven on a daily basis. She used to babysit them when she before she was turned. The two of them worked in the morgue and supplied the coven with blood. They'd take it from clients who died from reasons that still made it safe to drink before it coagulated. Sasha wished for Jon to become friends with them too. Jon liked them, they were nice enough, but being around the bags of blood made his anxious. He watched the coven grab them from a fridge, crack them open and fill a glass or a gum or a teacup, like it was any other regular juice. His stomach growled watching it be poured and it scared him. He spent time with the coven, but when it was time to eat, he hid in his room. Sasha tried to coax him nicely and Helen did it passive-aggressively, but they couldn't get him to feed.

And there he was, hiding in his room under the blankets, fighting against the urge to get up and drink blood. He refused to do it. He still refused to believe what was happening to him. Up until it was breakfast, lunch or dinner time, it all felt relatively normal. It was as though he, for some reason, started living in a dormitory, in some sort of gated community. He could still pretend he was human, do human things. Drinking blood felt so viscerally wrong. Jon himself was used as food, and now he was supposed to do this to others? For eternity? Not to mention the idea of drinking blood from people who passed away, secretly collected, secretly desecrated.

You become a vampire by drinking vampire blood. A few drops are enough. Sasha told him how the members of their coven almost all became vampires in less than fortunate circumstances. People don't usually ask for this, unless they are in a weird, creepy family business like the Lukases. Naomi did it, but they still wouldn't let her and Evan get married. A vampire attacked Sasha and left her to bleed out, when Michael found her. She wasn't going to survive even if he rushed her to a hospital and Sasha was terrified of dying. She asked him to turn her into a vampire, and now it will be a very long time before she dies! Same was for Helen and Nathaniel. Oliver said he went to a crazy party “to fill the void in his heart”, and woke up the next morning with a bite-mark and fangs. Same was for their late Jane, for Tessa, for Karolina and for Hezekiah. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mike used to be a hunter and became a vampire himself rather than let his target kill him and win. Melanie used to help Agnes and Jude's coven and was pressured into becoming a vampire herself, before meeting Sasha and escaping.

All of them accepted their faiths and made the best of it together. Jon felt he couldn't. He felt weaker and weaker as time passed and he stubbornly refused to eat. At least he was too weak to get up and harm anyone else. If he hadn't fought back, he would have died. He became a vampire trying to stop Elias from killing him. He did this to himself. But what else was he supposed to have done? He ruminated over this over and over. His stomach hurt so badly.

Jon heard Sasha's voice behind the door of his room. The door opened and it was not her that came inside, but Michael. Jon didn't say anything when he lifted the blanket and sat in bed next to him.

“How are you, Jon?” Michael asked.

Jon didn't answer. His stomach growled.

“That's no good, you know?”

He knows.

“Sasha asked me to try to convince you. I don't know if all us are going to give it a try.” He laughed softly. “Don't know if it'll work, to be honest.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“We can't just let you starve yourself, Jon.” Michael continued. “We also don't want to end up having to force-feed you.”

“I don't want this...” Jon said, quietly.

“I know.” Michael sighed. “I used to be like that too.” A pause. “I'm a vampire because of Elias as well.”

Jon turned towards Michael, eyes wide in surprise. Michael laughed.

“It happened 50 years ago. Before that, when I was a kid, my friend Ryan got killed by a vampire. We were out playing, way past our curfew. I saw it happen. I don't think I left my house for months, heheh. I read and researched everything I could find on vampires, trying to arm myself with knowledge, to keep myself safe. That's how I met Gertrude Robinson. You would have never guessed that was her occupation, looking at her. Not back then, and not now either. She used to look like a small and frail office worker, and now she looks like a tiny old grandma. She was at the beginning of her career as a hunter, but she already had several kills under her belt. She was on a roll and with no intention to slow down. I became her assistant and learned about vampires up-close. I'd cut parts of them and watch them turn to ash under sunlight, I'd take samples of their blood and store them in vials... One day, she told I was to help her lure Elias in a trap. He had a different name back then. I was scared – of course I was! - but I trusted Gertrude. I knew her, I've seen her kill beings ten times her size, I've seen her stare death in the face and scoff. I trusted her and I accepted.” Michael let out a bitter laugh.

“Her plan worked as she predicted at first.” He continued. “But then it went so wrong. Elias went straight for a kill, faster than Gertrude anticipated. She shot him, but instead of hitting his chest, it hit his shoulder, and Elias' teeth were already in me. He dropped me and chased after his shooter and Gertrude ran away, leaving me alone to bleed and choke on the ground. I was so scared, my mind raced for a solution. I remembered the blood vials in my bag. I bit the corks off and drank them as my vision went black. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer bleeding. The night was bright and my teeth felt sharp. I didn't know if Gertrude survived as well and I didn't go check. If she were and she saw me still alive, it would have only meant one thing and she would have shot me on the spot. It didn't take long to learn she was still alive and still killing monsters, of course.”

Michael's eyes went dark. “Elias took my life away, and now he did the same to you.”

Jon sat fully turned towards Michael as he spoke, looking up at him stunned and morbidly curious at the same time, trying to fight the fatigue to keep listening.

“I want Elias dead.” Michael said. “Many people do. Because of that, he took many precautions. He's untouchable by now. Only Gertrude would be able to get him. But... I don't want Gertrude to win either, you know?” Michael laughed, then went quiet and his smile faltered.

“Michael...” Jon whispered, worried.

Michael looked at Jon and reached out a hand. Jon jumped startled when it covered his cheek. Michael brushed his fingers by his sunken cheek.

“You have to eat, Jon.” Michael said, brows furrowed.

Jon didn't answer, looking away.

Michael thought for a moment, then took his hand away and brought it to his throat with a smile. “You should listen to your elders, Jon.” He said. Jon watched him draw a cut on his own throat. Dark red, glistening blood dripped out and Jon's eyes glazed over. His mind went blank and his mouth filled with drool. Michael laughed at him as he struggled to get up, hunger taking over reason. He held Jon from under his armpits and helped him in his lap. Jon immediately buried his face in the crook of his neck and drank, clutching onto his clothes.

“Hey, do it properly...” Michael said, pulling him off by his hair. Jon bare his teeth and bit Michael's neck, slitting it open more and catching the blood coming out. “There we go.” Michael said, laughing. He thread his fingers through the hair on the nape of Jon's neck and supported him up with his other arm.

Jon's mind was reeling. Nothing in his life ever tasted so good, it didn't even register that it was blood. He was so, so hungry and he barely stopped to breathe, panting through his nose and keening into Michael's neck, letting blood drip past his lips in his frenzy. As he got full, he calmed down and eventually let go of Michael. He lay his head against his shoulder, breathing heavily as after a hearty meal. He watched the wounds close up on their own, but the blood still stain Michael's neck and shirt. Jon could feel it stain his own cheeks and chin. He started to feel a little sick. He ate too much. Michael pulled him off and made him face him.

“You'll have to eat more than once every few days. None of our clothes will fit you otherwise.” Michael laughed, pulling Jon's sleeve back over his shoulder. “Such a mess.” He said, rubbing a thumb over his lower lip. Michael leaned in and licked the blood off his chin. Jon closed his mouth and his eyes tight as his face got cleaned up.

“This won't work for long.” Michael said, making him open his eyes back. “You have to drink human blood. It is the best for us. You can drink animal blood until you get comfortable, but it won't be as nutritious. You're already scrawny.”

Jon sighed. “Alright...”

“Good boy.” Michael smiled.

The door to Jon's room opened and he recognized Sasha's footsteps.

“Hey, Jon! How are you?” She asked, sitting besides him and Michael. “Oh, you got some colour back in your cheeks!”

“Y-Yeah...”

“Ah, you have a little stain left.”

“It's okay I'll ge-” but Sasha was already licking it off. Jon closed his eyes and let it happen. He started to feel tired again.

“Jon, are you okay?” Sasha asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” He said, sitting with his eyes closed, stomach too full.

“Michael!” She said, turning to him. “I asked you to get him to eat, not to put him in a food coma!”

“It worked, didn't it?” He said, leaning against the bed-frame, also looking drowsy from blood-loss.

Sasha sighed and climbed into the bed, pulling Jon down. Jon's eyes opened, finding himself in her arms, then he closed them back, burying his head in her chest and wrapping his arms around her. Sasha's arms were over him too and her chin was atop his head. He felt Michael drape an arm over the two of them and his chest against his back, his head into his hair, forehead against Sasha's.

“What will I do with you two...” Sasha whispered, lips against Jon's hairline. Jon dozed off, lulled to sleep by their heartbeats. He'll try, for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥️


End file.
